“Like father, like son,” I called out, earning me a scowl from Brennan.
“Oh, yeah, Uncle Brennan,” Kat yelled from the dining room, loud enough to make me wince. “I told Alessa to tell Nyx that if he comes to the city again, you’ll pickle him, but I don’t understand the logistics of that. How do you pickle a human being?”
“Pickle!” Third shrieked, earning a proud look from her father.
“No pickles tonight, baby.” He kissed her crown. “Pizza.”
As Third took off like a bat out of hell, crowing aboutpissa, Brennan hollered back, “Best not to ask questions, Kat. But thank you for passing along the warning.”
“I’ll pickleyoulater for having my daughter be the go-between,” Star sang in a tone that warned of a painful, painful, painful death.
“Says you,” Savannah drawled. “You use Kat as a go-between all the time.”
“I do not!”
“Sure you do. Alessa still blames you for?—”
“Never mind!” Star glared at Savannah, who shrugged.
“Just keeping things fair.”
“I’ll remember your idea of fairness next time,” Star intoned.
“I hit! I hit! I hit!” Roman reminded us, tugging on his mom’s arm to get the action going.
Armed with mini baseball bats that the kids wielded with all the promise of being future pro players/great fists for theFirm, I grunted as Jake managed to smash thepiñatawithin two tries.Niall and Roman were way too small, but as candy cascaded over the floor, they cackled in glee and let it rain over their heads.
Third shrieked at Declan, who just so happened to be holding her after we collectively agreed never to allow her near weapons. Not when she almost impaled Ma with a turkey baster the other day. Still, I wasn’t surprised when he put her down; she shrieked loud enough to take out an eardrum.
Happy once liberated from imprisonment, Third dashed over to be with her buds—Roman, Niall, and her were thicker than thieves.
Which, again, boded well for the Firm.
It was almost a shame Da couldn’t see it for himself. He’d have been proud as fuck.
While LyLy picked up a couple pieces of candy from the floor, ones that weren’t being squished by two toddlers with main character energy, Cam hopped on his feet and kept on swinging until Declan, his hands free now, swept in, tilted him upside down, and dangled him.
“Get him, kids!” he cheered as the others—aside from Jake—abandoned the candy to tickle Cam, who yelped and squealed and giggled.Even Benjamim, who was the quietest of Star and Conor’s kids.
I’d admit—that earned a smile out of me.
Especially when the cacophony of animals we had all got in on the action—even Pebbles jumped down from her place beside Inessa, and Ren and Stimpy deigned to stop using my feet as pillows to join in.
“Holy cow, was that a smile?” Inessa inquired with a mock-gasp.
“Nah.”
She hooted. “Just like you refuse to admit thatMaxton Hallintrigued you?”
“I wasnotintrigued.”
“That’s why you were asking questions about it, huh?”
“You read the book!”
“Well? You can read it too.”
“Maybe I will.”
